


Subject to Change

by United_Nation_of_Roses



Category: Internet Personalities, The Late Night Crew
Genre: Age Difference, Babysitting, Fluff, M/M, Single Parent Snake, Student Scott Jund
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 21:42:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5349593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/United_Nation_of_Roses/pseuds/United_Nation_of_Roses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snake is a high school literary professor, aspiring novelist and a single father. To top it all off he has trouble employing a reliable babysitter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subject to Change

He’d already been running fifteen minutes late and the babysitter still hadn’t shown her face. Snake didn’t need this so early in the morning, he really didn’t. **  
**

“Kera, don’t put those in your mouth.” He chided, prying his car keys from the small child, much to her displeasure. Snake quickly replaced the keys with a sippy cup filled with juice, hoping it would silence his daughter’s whines momentarily. It worked, thankfully buying him enough time to dial the babysitter’s number whilst juggling between Kera’s baby food, his keys, and a mug of hot coffee. With one eye still expertly trained on his little girl as she guzzled down her drink, Snake listened to the monotonous ring on the other end of the line, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

Honestly, was everyone he hired so incompetent? At least he’d rung in advance to warn his boss about the situation, she had been surprisingly lenient with him over his few months working at the school, but Snake knew that everyone’s patience wears thin eventually. It had to stop, but what could he do? There hadn’t been any other suitable replies to his flyers.

When the call finally went through Snake’s shoulders sagged in relief, “Melissa it’s David, I have to be in a lecture already where are you—” His forehead creased into an irritated frown at the next words, “What email? I checked them this morning there wasn’t—” Next thing he knew there was burning coffee running down his chest and he cursed loudly, dropping the cup in his hand and hearing it smash at his feet. When the sound inevitably frightened his daughter, Kera began wailing, further adding to Snake’s already crippling headache.

“ _Cancel?_  The hell do you mean you have to cancel? What am I supposed to do with my daughter? I can’t take her with me.” He growled down the line, placing the rest of the items in his hand down in favour of trying to comfort the small child. “Come on sweetie don’t cry. Daddy only dropped his mug.” This could only happen to Snake.

The beep signalling another person was on the line only made his mood worse, probably his boss about to chew his head off about being late  _once again._  Maybe they couldn’t find a substitute lecturer, or maybe he was just being fired outright. “Look, someone else is trying to get through, hang on.” He placed his babysitter on hold and was put through to the other caller, greeting them with a rushed ‘hello’ as he hurried to clean up the mess on his kitchen floor.

“Mr Pliskin?”

That certainly wasn’t the voice of his boss, which alleviated the suffocating pressure in his chest, but barely.

“Speaking.” He answered, sweeping the broken shards of his second favourite mug into a small pile with a grimace. He smashed his first a week before. Snake was about to inform the man on the other end that now wasn’t exactly the best time to try and convince him to invest in lampshade insurance or whatever the hell he was selling, but his next word’s stopped him in his tracks completely.

“Hi uh, my name’s Scott Jund and I’m calling about the flyer you put up a few weeks ago. I know it’s a little late but I was wondering if the position was sti—”

“ _ **Yes.**_ ” The suddenness of the answer may have taken the kid off guard but Snake didn’t care. He was desperate. “Yes it’s there if you want it. When can you start?”

“Anytime.”

“Today?”

“Uh, sure.”

“How long will it take you to get here?” It was almost too good to be true but Snake wasn’t about to question the workings of fate, especially if they were in his favour.

“To your house? It’s about a five minute walk, I live just down the block.”

“If you run I’ll pay you double.”

“Deal.”  Snake could here the grin in Scott’s voice before the click of him hanging up sounded.

-

After formally dismissing Melissa over the phone and tidying up the spilt coffee, Snake had just enough time to grab his coat, keys, and briefcase before there was a knock at his door. He swung it open, coming face to face with a lanky and awkward looking kid that had descended down like a damn angel to save his sorry ass. Snake couldn’t have been happier to see an out of breath and slightly damp looking teenager in his life.

“Scott?” He addressed the kid, receiving a nod in response before Snake opened the door wide for him to step through. A hand was quickly placed on Scott’s shoulder and he led him into the kitchen without another word. The kid seemed surprised but not uncooperative with Snake’s hurried attitude, even as he began rattling off various instructions.

“Alright, Kera’s baby food is in the top left-hand cupboard, her juice in the bottom which has to be heavily diluted or she won’t drink it. Times are all pinned to the fridge.” He watched as Scott nodded, the kid’s eyes following his gestures before they rested on his daughter who was observing the newcomer curiously from her high-chair. “My number is on the fridge too and if you need anything just call, the house phone is here,” Snake slipped it into the kid’s hand and bent down to kiss his little girl on the cheek, making her giggle at the tickle of his unshaven stubble. “Got everything? I’ll be home in a few hours to check up on her in my lunch break. Television is free to use as you please, eat all you want, just don’t kill my kid okay?”

“No problem.” Scott smiled, clearly liking the sound of his new job already. “I thought I’d at least have to have an interview first but this works too.”

Snake waved him off with a sigh, moving to put his shoes on and readjust his tie in the hallway mirror. The dark stain on his previously pale blue shirt made him groan inwardly, but he was late enough as it was and changing would just take up more time. “My previous babysitter decided to cancel on me without notification and this isn’t the first time it’s happened.”

“Rough.” The teen commented, leaning against the kitchen doorway as he watched Snake tidy himself up with a smug-looking grin. “Good thing I called then, huh? My sense of timing is impeccable as always.” Snake returned his gaze, assessing him in greater detail. He was confident, mischievous, likely in high school and nearing graduation. Actually, he seemed right around the age of the students Snake was meant to be lecturing that very moment, so it begged the question just why Scott wasn’t at school with the rest of them. Snake made a mental note of it, having to remind himself that it was utter desperation prompting him to leave the care of his child to some kid that just screamed  _teenage delinquent_.

“Take care of her.” Snake said firmly as a subtle warning to Scott, narrowing his eyes at the kid who only grinned and waved him off from the door with a cheery, “Take care yourself, Mr Pliskin.”

“Desperate Snake, you’re  _desperate_ …” The man mumbled under his breath as he got into his car and reversed out the drive.

-

When Snake stumbled onto his deck at a time much later than anticipated, he very much expected to be greeted to his home in chaos. Perhaps some sort of dubstep spewing loud and obnoxiously from the speakers of his stereo, maybe a few chip packets and cans scattered around the floor  _at least_.

However none of this appeared to him when he pushed open the front door, peering into a dark but surprisingly spotless house. “Scott..?” His voice called out tentatively, hoping to hear a response. Snake had been keeping in contact with him all day, starting from when he’d sent a text to inform Scott that he had to catch up on some marking over his lunch break and wasn’t able to make it home, which somehow spiralled into a debate on which console shooter was in fact the best, followed by the two lamenting to one another on how stale they had become overtime. Even as Snake looked back through their lengthy conversation on his cell he found it hard to believe they’d ended on the subject of their favourite Pokémon. Snake still owed the brat a boot to the head for trash-talking Dewgong.

Still, Scott had made those long hours more interesting for Snake.

“In here.” A voice called back eventually, leading Snake to the living room where the lamp in the corner of the room kept it dimly lit. Scott was sprawled out on the couch, tapping at the screen of his 3DS as Kera slept soundly on his chest. Snake couldn’t help but smile, letting it drop when the kid returned it with enthusiasm. Awkwardly Snake cleared his throat and set about lifting his daughter up into his arms, stroking her hair just enough to lull her back to sleep when she stirred.

“Was she good?” Snake asked after he’d placed Kera in her crib, watching Scott flip his 3DS closed and stretch out on the couch before shuffling up to make room for him. “Oh no, she was a nightmare.” He quipped, sending Snake a teasing grin when the older man’s face seemed to fall. “Dude I’m kidding, she was fine, ate all her food and shit.” He waved his hand in a meaningless gesture, “I guess the only thing I had trouble with was getting her to sleep.”

“She usually only goes to bed after I read her a story,” He sighed, “Sorry, I expected to be home in time for that.”

Scott only shrugged in response, he didn’t mind getting paid more for simple work. “Don’t worry about it, I figured she’d want me to read her something, so I just picked the book I was meant to read over summer.”

“Oh?” That certainly peaked Snake’s interest, he turned his attention towards the book Scott pulled back out of his bag. So he _was_ a student, to some degree. “What was it?”

Snake had fond memories of studying literature in high school, though his attraction was drawn more to poetry than prose. He remembered before Kera came into his life he’d dreamed of writing for a living, even fooled himself into thinking he still could when full custody of her was given to him. Sure he’d managed to churn out a short story or two before securing the job he had now as a literary professor, but prioritising his time between work and his little girl was only going to get harder.

Caught up in his own thoughts Snake almost didn’t register the novel Scott had placed in his waiting hand, having to do a double take when he read the title. “ _Animal Farm_?” He deadpanned, “You read a book that underlined the fundamental flaws of communism to my kid? Really?”

Scott shrugged and shot him another one of those shit-eating grins, “Hey, she seemed to like it.” He answered, getting to his feet and taking the book back before throwing it in his bag again. “So since you don’t wanna be late again, I’m assuming you want me here earlier tomorrow?”

“You don’t have school? It’s a Wednesday.”

“Funny,” Scott laughed, packing away the rest of his things, “I didn’t take you for the humorous kind.”

“I’m full of surprises.” Snake replied dryly, following Scott to the door and opening it for him. Clearly he wasn’t going to be getting all the answers he wanted tonight.

“Yeah? Am I going to be seeing a whole lot more to that side of you now Mr Pliskin?” He teased him gently, the older man returning it with a hard and unamused look.

“Yeah you wish, now get out.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kera was a character Snake made for their DnD campaign and I thought using her name for his daughter would be cute.
> 
> Also there was meant to be multiple chapters to this story but eeeeeh. Maybe it'll happen in the future.


End file.
